War

A top Israeli military leader issued a warning to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday, saying any future war between the two enemies will unleash “devastating” damage on Lebanon. Yahoo News reports: Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, Israel’s deputy chief of staff, told foreign journalists that Hezbollah has developed capabilities that present “unprecedented” threats to Israel. Israel estimates the group has over 100,000 rockets and missiles in its arsenal. Golan said any future war will be “much harsher” than anything experienced in the past 20 years.

Via GEFIRA,

The US Supreme Court has upheld a judgment allowing families of victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism to collect nearly $2 billion in compensation. The court ruled 6-2 in favor of relatives of the 241 Marines who died in a 1983 terrorist attack in Beirut and victims of other attacks that the courts also linked to Tehran. The issue however, is not whether Iran should pay, but whether Congress has infringed upon the territory of the judiciary by essentially awarding damages.

Here we go again...OIL PRODUCERS MEETING TO REVIVE OUTPUT FREEZE PROPOSAL: IRAQ

Seriously - are we really going to start this again!???

• *OPEC, OTHER PRODUCERS TO MEET IN RUSSIA POSSIBLY IN MAY: IRAQ
• *IRAQ SEES OIL PRICES RISING SLOWLY DESPITE DOHA TALKS OUTCOME
• *IRAQ OIL EXPORTS TO STAY AT 3.9M B/D IN MAY: DEP. OIL MINISTER

Of course the algos love it...

While Congress is scrambling to sweep the recently introduced Bipartisan bill that would allow US families to sue Saudi Arabia for Sept 11, Barack Obama has just landed in Saudi Arabia to reassure his close ally that all is under control.

President Obama with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, center, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in May 2015

As the WSJ reports, Obama arrived today in the Saudi kingdom for a brief trip "meant to provide reassurances to Gulf allies and to bolster his own foreign-policy legacy."